Realization
by StoryMakerr014
Summary: And at that moment, they all realized it. Everything he did, the lives he had taken and the sins he had committed, all of them led to this. His greatest and final miracle.


When _he_ appeared, Shinichiro Tamaki thought he was hallucinating.

There he stood at the end of the road like a silent guardian barring evil's passage: Zero, Man of Miracles, Masked Revolutionary Leader, Founder of the Black Knights, Upholder of Justice, and Tamaki's best buddy(or so he wanted to believe).

 _But_ … Tamaki swung his head toward the seat looming above them. That was impossible. Because there _he_ sat on his gilded throne like an evil god looking down upon humanity: Lelouch vi Britannia, The Demon Emperor, Ruthless Dictator, Conqueror of the World, Enemy of Humanity… and the real Zero.

When Zero started moving, Tamaki really believed he was hallucinating. Zero was no physical fighter. He was a commander; a strategist. He could never dodged knightmare rifle bullets with such an inhuman speed. He could never jump ten meters in the air like some shounen manga protagonist and land like it was no big deal. More than that, Zero could never disarm someone pointing a gun at him in such point blank range.

When the sword flashed and streaked toward the emperor's chest, only then did Tamaki realized that he was living in a nightmare.

He had already accepted the fact that his intelligence was just average, but he was no fool. Anyone who had been with Zero, the _real_ Zero whose face was now smiling in that kind of way when his plans all came together, would immediately understand what was happening.

Zero, the Man of Miracles, was performing his greatest and final miracle like a promised messiah sent to save humanity.

Shinichiro Tamaki knew this was no longer a nightmare, but hell. Yes, he was being punished by God for his sins. Because there hestood welcoming death in his arms, and the only thing Tamaki could do was struggle in futile at his restraints while crying out in protest, pleading for once in his life, as the man who saved the entire world was killed right in front of everyone by the persona he had crafted to be a symbol.

Soon the deed was done, and Tamaki watched in despair as the Saviour of the World fell next to his sister, leaving a trail of fresh blood.

Yes, this was indeed hell. The chanting proved it. And Tamaki could only sob as the people rejoiced. For them, Zero had saved the world.

For him, Zero lay dead, his life taken by the world he had saved.

...

When _he_ appeared, Sumeragi Kaguya never doubted who was the man behind the mask.

It could only be him: Kururugi Suzaku, Son of the Last Samurai, Honorary Britannian, The White Reaper, Knight of Zero, and her cousin. There was no other way to explain his speed and reflexes nor how high he jumped into the air. There was no other way to explain who could be wearing that mask except someone who once hated the man behind it. Most of all, there was no other way to explain who would be willing to kill the Demon Emperor.

Yes, it was indeed Suzaku. Zero—no, _Lelouch_ , could never moved that fast. He could never jumped that high. And he definitely could not wield a sword like that.

And at that moment, Kaguya realized theirplan, and she shouted for Suzaku to stop.

When Zero did not respond and proceeded to skewer the Demon Emperor, all hope left her and she could only stare in shock. Too late. She was too late. If only she had realized it sooner, she could have prevented this from happening. She could have save _him_ , and then they could have saved the world together with Kallen. But no. She had been blinded by the real Zero's lies that he had simply used them.

The chant began, and Sumeragi Kaguya's heart clenched in despair. Zero was a liar, and she was a fool to have believed him. Perhaps this was a lie too, and he would rise again to declare that he had survived.

But he never rose. And as the world rejoiced in the death of the Demon Emperor, Kaguya wept. For the lie that he had been evil became the truth.

For Zero was no more, and the world saw him as a demon.

...

When _he_ appeared, Kaname Ohgi was dumbfounded.

It should be impossible. It _was_ impossible. Zerowas 'dead'. That was what they had reported after the real Zero betrayed them. And yet, he knew he was only kidding himself. They were just kidding themselves. For nothing was impossible to Zero, the Man of Miracles. As long as he lived, he would perform a miracle making the impossible possible.

 _He_ sat there, a smirk gracing his lips as the sword came closer to his chest. Ohgi clearly heard the gasp of pain accompanied by the sound of his body falling nearby. It was impossible for the Demon Emperor to die at the hands of Zero, and yet it was happening. He did it again. He performed a miracle.

And at that moment, Kaname Ohgi realized the greatest sin he had ever committed in his life, and he hung his head in shame.

For Zero had done the impossible once more; he united the world and saved it from evil.

And in the end, because of one act of betrayal, the world would never know it.

...

When _he_ appeared, Rivalz Cardemond could not believe what he was seeing.

How could Zero be there? Zero was dead. He heard the news. Everyone did. Zero died in the Second Battle for Tokyo Settlement from grievous wounds. There was no way for him to be here.

And yet Zero was here, dodging bullets, jumping past people, landing in front of Lelouch. Rivalz watched in horror as the masked revolutionary leader drew a sword and aimed it toward Lelouch vi Britannia, his classmate, Former Vice-President of the Ashford Academy Student Council, and his best friend.

That's when Rivalz Cardemond finally realized what _he_ really wanted to achieve, and there was nothing he could do to stop him.

He shouted, he screamed, he almost jumped off the railings. But it was useless. The sword had already pierced Lelouch's chest, and he was falling and then sliding, a line of crimson blood marking his path.

The next few seconds were a blur to Rivalz. People charging out of the buildings, Princess Cornelia's cry of victory ringing loud in the air, the Royal Guards retreating in haste. None of these registered in Rivalz' mind. He was busy staring at the motionless body of his friend while Nunnally wept openly.

Then the chanting began, and it hit him. His knees gave out, and he sank to the ground, sobbing.

Lelouch, his best friend, was dead, and the whole world was happy with it.

...

Before Zero appeared, Milly Ashford refused to look at the tv monitors.

She remained on her chair, gazing at a stack of papers scattered on the table in front of her. She ignored all sound coming from her coworkers, and she ignored the news reports about the Emperor's glory as he paraded his enemies in front of live tv broadcast. She knew Kallen and Nunnally were there, but she could not stomach the sight of Lelouch ordering them to be executed.

Was this what he really wanted? She knew Lelouch. He would never harm his sister. He would never humiliate her, much less kill her in cold blood. He went through a war zone while carrying her. Lelouch vi Britannia would never let anything happen to his beloved Nunnally.

So when Zero appeared, Milly gasped and started to pay attention, but did not dare leave her seat or glance at a monitor. It was too good to be true, too much to hope for. No matter how intelligent Zero was, he would just be gunned down.

Then the reporters cried in shock, mentioning something about a "sword", and Milly immediately stood and rushed to the monitors. What she saw made her heart almost stopped.

Lelouch, her friend, her former Vice-President, had been ran through by Zero's sword.

She watched as he fell next to Nunnally, and she watched as the camera focused on the girl weeping next to the lifeless body of her beloved brother.

And at that moment, Milly Ashford understood.

Lelouch would do everything for Nunnally. He would sacrifice everything—love, morality, money, power, even his own soul—to give her a future.

A future that required him to also sacrifice his own life.

Before she knew it, Milly felt the tears sliding down her eyes. But it was no tears of joy, like many of her coworkers were giving now. What she was shedding were tears of grief.

For the world was rejoicing while a girl wept for her dead brother.

...

When Zero appeared, Cornelia li Britannia was confused at first.

The real Zero sat on his throne, basking in his own glory—glory he had won from terror and despair. He was still like everyone else, watching this Zero standing from afar. Obviously he was confused as well. Because he _was_ Zero.

When Zero started to move, Cornelia was even more confused. Cornelia had fought Zero many times, and Zero never moved like that. In fact, she had never seen Zero—no, Lelouch—she had never seen him moved with such inhuman speed. If anything, her little brother could be likened to a frail girl whose body was not cut out for something as strenuous as running.

Lelouch was a strategist, not a fighter; not a soldier. Even when personally commanding his armies, he was always at the back, away from the fighting. He would command and order men, not join them in the chaotic mess of a battlefield.

But… Cornelia knew someone who wasa fighter, a soldier, a _Knight_. One who would obey orders even if was against his moral code. A young man who would follow Lelouch's impossible plan and fulfill it using his nigh supernatural physical abilities.

When the sword flashed and sped toward her little brother's chest, Cornelia finally realized it, and only one word escaped her lips as her eyes widened.

"GO!"

She all but screamed in panic as she turned around and threw her cloak, the other members of her resistance following her. Cornelia knew they must have thought she was going to use Zero's assassination attempt as a diversion to save the hostages, but that was not her motive.

No. The hostages was not even her priority anymore; her priority was to save Lelouch vi Britannia, her little brother, from a fate they had forced him to face.

When Cornelia reached the lobby and she heard Nunnally's sobs, her heart twisted. It seemed she was being punished for all the sins she had committed as a Princess of Britannia. She had seen this situation before; she had experienced it when Euphy was slain by the very person Nunnally wept for. Only now did she realized what it felt to be on the receiving end.

Lelouch killed Euphemia because of an out-of-control Geass, a mistake he never wanted to commit, and made it appear as if she was the evil one.

Now… they did the same. History had repeated itself; a girl wept for her beloved sibling, much like Cornelia did when Euphy died. Zero had killed a monster, much like he did with the Massacre Princess. And though it went against her heart, Cornelia did what Lelouch had done before.

Trying her best not to let her true emotions show in her voice, Cornelia stepped out the entrance, raised a hand, and shouted at the top of her lungs while in her heart, she prayed to Euphy for forgiveness.

"Lelouch, the Demon Emperor, is dead!"

As the people in the buildings surged out to free the prisoners, Cornelia li Britannia retreated into the corner and sank to her knees.

Much like she did when Euphy died, the Goddess of Victory wept.

...

When Zero appeared, Kallen Kozuki was probably the first one who realized the plan _._

She had been with him long enough—served him and followed his strategies—that she knew when a plan was his making. Zero was a man of theatrics, and he was also a man of deception. He had always used trickery to win battles, even if it meant tricking his own allies.

Even if it meant tricking her into thinking he was truly evil.

At first, the appearance of Zero shocked Kallen. Lelouch was sitting there on his throne, and one except for C.C. had been granted the privilege of the real Zero's ensemble. So who was wearing it? Who dared pose as the Man of Miracles they had all betrayed?

Then he moved, and Kallen, Zero's Q1, Ace of The Black Knights, realized how much Lelouch had tricked them.

This was his plan all along; a well crafted gambit born from desperation to salvage everything he still had left and used them to achieve his goal of creating a gentler world for his beloved sister. A plan he was forced to initiate when they, including her, had left him.

When Zero's sword flashed, Kallen Kozuki's heart wanted to burst out of her chest. She screamed, and she heard Tamaki screaming even louder, but their voices were not enough for the multitude of people crying for justice. And as Zero finally impaled Lelouch through the chest, she watched in despair as the man she loved and betrayed slid down next to his sister in a trail of fresh blood.

Soon the chanting began, and the people shouted Zero's name over and over as their savior stood victorious above the corpse of the Demon Emperor. Tied next to Kallen, Kyoshiro Tohdoh stared in awe. "Could it be…?

"No." Despite her eyes filling with tears, Kallen Kozuki's voice remained firm. "That's Zero!"

Yes, in her eyes, the one before them was indeed Zero, the Savior of the World. But in her heart, there was only one Zero.

And he was lying there in his own blood.

...

When Zero appeared, Nunnally was confused.

She had been told that her brother was Zero all along. The Man of Miracles himself, the Scourge of Britannia, the man who killed millions of people in his quest for freedom and justice, had been her beloved _Onii-sama_ all this time.

She had been devastated when she learned that. To think that her kind and sweet brother was the mastermind behind all those deaths. And for what? Revenge against their father?

She had been equally horrified when she learned about his evil power, Geass, which he used to control countless people. All her life she thought of her brother as a good person, but after what he did, she felt as if he was no longer her beloved Onii-sama. He was evil; a monster. A demon. And she hated him with every fiber of her being.

But then if her brother was Zero, then who was the man wearing his mask?

When Zero jumped and landed in front of her for a heartbeat, Nunnally stared into his mask and became even more confused. For one brief moment, she thought she felt Suzaku's eyes gazing at her in sadness. But that was impossible. Suzaku was dead.

Then Zero leapt once more, landing in front of her brother. A sword flashed in the sunlight before it pierced the chest of Lelouch vi Britannia.

For Nunnally vi Britannia, it seemed that the entire world had gone silent. She stared in shock as her brother's limp form toppled and slid down until it lay next to her. With trembling fingers she touched his cold hands, and she gasped as a torrent of memories flooded her mind.

Only then did she understood.

Everything he did, the lives he had taken and the sins he had committed, all of them were for her and her wish for a gentler world. All along he was doing this for her, and she had never realized it until now.

 _Yes… I destroyed… the world… and recreated it… anew…_

That was his final words. He had recreated the world for her, but without him. A world where they could never be together. A world where he was dead while she would live to see the result of his sacrifice.

" _Onii-sama_ , I love you!" That was what she said before Lelouch vi Britannia drew his last breath.

"No! Please open your eyes!" she sobbed even as her brother's hand went rigid. Life without him was not worth living for. If this was the world he had promised to give her, then she would have gladly return to the previous one filled with death and hatred if it meant being together with him.

And so Nunnally vi Britannia wept harder while the people chanted Zero's name. For them, their savior stood in victory after he had freed the world from a demon.

For a little princess whose only wish in life was to live happily with her brother, her savior lay in her arms, his life taken after he had recreated the world into a better one.

* * *

 **My third attempt at a one-shot drama fic. I don't know if this has been done before, but since I haven't read one like this yet, I'll presume this is the first one even after ten years has passed since the ending was aired.**

 **Anyway, please Read & Review!**


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